Threelas Disasters

New Candidate of Tropical Storm Around Atlantic Ocean

2012-08-02T04:53:00.001+07:00

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over System 99L on August 1 at 0405 UTC (12:05 a.m. EDT) and the AIRS instrument captured an infrared image of the storm. It showed that there was a small area of strong, high, cold cloud tops of thunderstorms (purple) around the center of circulation, indicating some strength in the low pressure area. Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen

A warning of new candidate of tropical storm has been captured by NASA. It is feared there will be a tropical storm around the Atlantic Ocean. This tropical storm will come from the System 99L. System 99L is an area of low pressure located about 850 km south east of the Windward Islands, near 10.7 North Latitude and 46.9 West Longitude. Now, System 99L is moving westward at speeds between 15 and 20 mph.

NASA's Aqua satellite spotted some very cold, high, thunderstorms around the center of a tropical low pressure area in the Atlantic Ocean today, indicating that the system is getting stronger and more organized.

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over System 99L on August 1 at 0405 UTC (12:05 a.m. EDT) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured an infrared image of the storm. It showed that there was a small area of strong, high, cold cloud tops of thunderstorms around the center of circulation, indicating some strength in the low pressure area. Infrared imagery shows temperature and the higher the cloud tops, the colder they are as they reach higher in the troposphere (lowest atmospheric layer). When cloud top temperatures are very cold, it's an indication of strong uplift in the atmosphere. The cloud top temperatures around the center of this low were near -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius), and indicated powerful uplift and high cloud tops.

The National Hurricane Center noted that "environmental conditions are conducive for gradual development," and gives the storm a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression in the next two days. Residents in the Windward Islands should monitor the progress of System 99L.

If System 99L develops into a tropical storm, it would be named "Ernesto." The last tropical storm to form in the Atlantic Ocean this hurricane season was Debby, and she dissipated over a month ago, on June 28.

This article had edited by authors of threelas

Source: NASA

Hendra Virus Outbreak Forcing Researchers Find A Cure Soon As Possible

2012-06-04T15:22:00.000+07:00

There is no cure for the time being for the disease that has killed four men and fifty horses since the end of May in Australia. The disease is derived from the Hendra virus, which were first discovered in 1994 in the city of Brisbane.

According to information from the WHO (World Health Organization), Hendra virus (HeV) is a rare virus, and is a zoonotic virus (a virus transmitted to humans from animals). If someone exposed to Hendra Virus, it will cause respiratory diseases, neurological, and death. For farm businesses, Hendra Virus can kill many horses, causing economic losses.

Currently, outbreaks have occurred in Arustralia, forcing the government to disburse funds and researchers attention to find a cure for sufferers Hendra Virus. Monash University researchers have been awarded more than $1.3 million to help find a cure for the deadly Hendra virus.

Associate Professor Anthony Purcell from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology was awarded $637,000 to examine the immune response of the virus’s natural host, the fruit bat. The bats show no apparent symptoms of the virus, but are able to pass it on to horses and humans.

Associate Professor Hans Netter, from the Department of Microbiology, received $368,000 in funding. The team will conduct comparative research in bat and human cell lines to recognise differences in virus-host cell interactions.

Professor Netter said that an understanding of the interactions between the viral pathogen and the host would allow the identification of mechanisms which contribute to disease progression.

“This has an immediate importance for the public, as the identification and characterisation of the virus-host interactions are a prerequisite for effective drug discovery strategies,” Professor Netter said.

Dr Fasseli Coulibaly, also of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology was awarded more than $300,000 to investigate the structure of viral proteins that allow the virus to multiply in infected cells.

This is known as, Hendra Virus is transmitted to people through close contact with infected horses or their body fluids. To date, no human to human transmission of Hendra virus has been documented. However, the results of research conducted by the Australian government is expected to resolve the issue of this outbreak.

Editor: authors of threelas

Source: Monash University, WHO

NASA Global Hawk Will Be Flown To Learn About Hurricanes Early This Summer

2012-06-02T15:50:00.000+07:00

To investigate how hurricanes are formed and change the intensity of hurricanes on the Atlantic Ocean basin, NASA will send an unmanned aircraft earlier this summer. Unmanned aircraft, dubbed the "severe storm sentinels", the plan will fly up to several years. The information obtained from this plane is expected to reveal the secrets of the storm.

This is a joint project of NASA with colleagues from universities and federal in the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3). NASA Global Hawk was chosen by NASA as the "severe storm sentinels", because it can over-fly hurricanes at altitudes greater than 60,000 feet with flight durations of up to 28 hours - something piloted aircraft would find nearly impossible to do. Global Hawks were used in the agency's 2010 Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) hurricane mission and the Global Hawk Pacific (GloPac) environmental science mission.

"Hurricane intensity can be very hard to predict because of an insufficient understanding of how clouds and wind patterns within a storm interact with the storm’s environment. HS3 seeks to improve our understanding of these processes by taking advantage of the surveillance capabilities of the Global Hawk along with measurements from a suite of advanced instruments," said Scott Braun, HS3 mission principal investigator and research meteorologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

HS3 will use two Global Hawk aircraft and six different instruments this summer, flying from a base of operations at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

"One aircraft will sample the environment of storms while the other will measure eyewall and rainband winds and precipitation," Braun said. HS3 will examine the large-scale environment that tropical storms form in and move through and how that environment affects the inner workings of the storms.

HS3 will use two Global Hawk aircraft and six different instruments this summer, flying from a base of operations at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

HS3 will address the controversial role of the hot, dry, and dusty Saharan Air Layer in tropical storm formation and intensification. Past studies have suggested that the Saharan Air Layer can both favor or suppress intensification. In addition, HS3 will examine the extent to which deep convection in the inner-core region of storms is a key driver of intensity change or just a response to storms finding favorable sources of energy.

The HS3 mission will operate during portions of the Atlantic hurricane seasons, which run from June 1 to November 30. The 2012 mission will run from late August through early October.

The instruments to be mounted in the Global Hawk aircraft that will examine the environment of the storms include the scanning High-resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS), the Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) also known as dropsondes, and the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). The Tropospheric Wind Lidar Technology Experiment (TWiLiTE) Doppler wind lidar will likely fly in the 2013 mission.

Another set of instruments will fly on the Global Hawk focusing on the inner region of the storms. Those instruments include the High-Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP) conically scanning Doppler radar, the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) multi-frequency interferometric radiometer, and the High-Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) microwave sounder. Most of these instruments represent advanced technology developed by NASA, that in some cases are precursors to future satellite sensors.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate Global Hawk aircraft will deploy to Wallops Flight Facility from their home base at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

"HS3 marks the first time that NASA's Global Hawks will deploy away from Dryden for a mission, potentially marking the beginning of an era in which they are operated regularly from Wallops," said Paul Newman, atmospheric scientist at NASA Goddard and deputy principal investigator on the HS3 mission.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington is establishing a Global Hawk operations center for science operations from Wallops.. "With the Global Hawks at NASA Dryden in California, NASA Wallops will become the 'Global Hawk - Eastern' science center," Newman said.

From rockets studying the upper atmosphere to unmanned aircraft flying over hurricanes, NASA's Wallops Flight Facility is fast becoming a busy place for science. Wallops is one of several NASA centers involved with the HS3 mission. Others include Goddard, Dryden, Ames Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Editor: Threelas Authors

Source: NASA

Air Pollution Increases Flood And Drought

2011-11-14T18:04:00.001+07:00

(umd.edu)

Today, many people are aware of the influence of air pollution is affecting the world climate. Air pollution and certain particles can affect the development of clouds. So that the clouds tend to reduce rainfall in dry areas. While the wet areas, rainfall is increasing, accompanied by a very severe storm.

The research proves for the first time the influence of aerosols - soot, dust and other small particles in the atmosphere can influence weather and climate in the world, has been carried out by a team from the University of Maryland.

Aerosols are tiny solid particles or liquid particles suspended in air. They include soot, dust and sulfate particles, and are what we commonly think of when we talk about air pollution. Aerosols come, for example, from the combustion of fossil fuels, industrial and agricultural processes, and the accidental or deliberate burning of fields and forests. They can be hazardous to both human health and the environment.

Aerosol particles also affect the Earth's surface temperature by either reflecting light back into space, thus reducing solar radiation at Earth's surface, or absorbing solar radiation, thus heating the atmosphere. This variable cooling and heating is, in part, how aerosols modify atmospheric stability that dictates atmospheric vertical motion and cloud formation. Aerosols also affect cloud microphysics because the serve as nuclei around which water droplets or ice particles form. Both processes can affect cloud properties and rainfall. Different processes may work in harmony or offset each other, leading to a complex yet inconclusive interpretation of their long-term net effect.

(umd.edu)

Greenhouse gases and aerosol particles are two major agents dictating climate change. The mechanisms of climate warming impacts of increased greenhouse gases are clear (they prevent solar energy that has been absorbed by the earth's surface from being radiated as heat back into space), but the climate effects of increased aerosols are much less certain due to many competing effects outlined above. Until now, studies of the long-term effects of aerosols on climate change have been largely lacking and inconclusive because their mechanisms are much more sophisticated, variable, and tangled with meteorology.

Team use the last 10 years of data obtained from the research facility of U.S. Southern Great Plains, Oklahoma (the program is run by the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement). "We have found, for the first time, long term, the net impact of aerosols on cloud height and thickness, and the resultant changes in frequency and intensity of rainfall," said Zhanqing Li, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at Maryland and lead author of the study.

The study found that under very dirty conditions, the mean cloud height of deep convective clouds is more than twice the mean height under crystal clean air conditions. "The probability of heavy rain is virtually doubled from clean to dirty conditions, while the chance of light rain is reduced by 50 percent," says Maryland's Li, who is also affiliated with Beijing Normal University.

The scientists obtained additional support for these findings with matching results obtained using a cloud-resolving computer model. The study by Li and co-authors Feng Niu and Yanni Ding, also of the University of Maryland; Jiwen Fan of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Yangang Liu of Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY; and Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is published in the November 13 issue of Nature Geoscience.

"These new findings of long-term impacts, which we made using regional ground measurements, also are consistent with the findings we obtained from an analysis of NASA's global satellite products in a separate study. Together, they attest to the needs of tackling both climate and environmental changes that matter so much to our daily life," says Li.

"Our findings have significant policy implications for sustainable development and water resources, especially for those developing regions susceptible to extreme events such as drought and flood. Increases in manufacturing, building of power plants and other industrial developments, together with urbanization, are often accompanied with increases in pollution whose adverse impacts on weather and climate, as revealed in this study, can undercut economic gains," he stresses.

Source: http://newsdesk.umd.edu/scitech/release.cfm?ArticleID=2551

Increased Radiation In Washington Post-Fukushima

2011-09-10T16:24:00.000+07:00

Earthquake in Japan on March 11, the last long tails. Because, as a result of the disaster, Japan's nuclear reactors are leaking, have been polluting the atmosphere. Levels of atmospheric radioactive aerosols in Washington state increased from 10,000 to 100,000 times normal. Although not dangerous to humans.

Concentration of Xenon (sciencedirect)

The research was conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and University of Texas. They reported five days post-radiation Fukushima, detected the element Xe 133. The concentration of these elements exceeds 40 Bq per cubic. Which means 40 000 times the normal American. According Biegalski, "I think the conclusion was this That was a really major events here".

Xenon 133 is a group of noble gas elements and is one of the inert gas (does not react with other chemical elements). During the concentration of Xenon 133 does not exceed normal limits, then it will not harm humans. Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster took place, the average population of Washington is expected to increase to 16.4017. Whereas previously, received only 16.4 microsieverts (Tracy Tipping, a health physicist and laboratory manager at The University of Texas at Austin's Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory). This radiation level is one of the technological advances made by Biegalski (University of Texas) and PNNL. Because with this tool, a very small concentration of gas can be detected. The data obtained and shared with the American government and Japanese, so it can be presented to the emergency responders in Fukushima.

"As the measurements come faster and at higher concentrations than we originally expected, we quickly come to the conclusion that there are some major core melts at the facility," said Biegalski.

Reprinted from sciencedaily and sciencedirect.

Mount Lewotobi Perempuan Still Coughing

2011-09-05T21:56:00.000+07:00

Mount Lewotobi (http://nttonlinenews.com)

Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, still coughing. This volcano, including a friendly with humans since 1935. However, since August 26, the mountain began to show more ferocity. Tectonic earthquake was recorded 27 times as much had happened, and more than 200 times of volcanic earthquakes continued to record until the post is posted.

Mount Lewotobi in shape, has two peaks. Each named Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki and Mount Lewotobi Perempuan. Only, Mount Lewotobi Perempuan time is quite a serious situation. Activities that occur tend to lead to a magmatic eruption and also included hurl incandescent rocks. Dangerous areas to these threats is the village of Nobo and Nurebeleng.

Since its status was raised to level II of the normal state on August 31, until now the Indonesian government is still not lowered its status. Local people are asked to stay alert, do not do the activity around the craters up to a radius of 1 km. Peoples to remain in contact with the local government-related development activities Lewotobi Perempuan mountain.

External links:

Knowing Lewotobi Perempuan from wikipedia

Mount Papandayan On Level III

2011-08-23T11:13:00.000+07:00

Mount Papandayan (wikipedia.org)

Mount Papandayan again threatened. Since its status was raised to level III, until now there has been no decision from the government to lower the status of Papandayan. Mountain, located in Garut was once swallowed 40 villages with 2951 people in 1773. Spontaneous, cone of the mountain disappears without warning.

Recorded 31 volcanic earthquakes (deep) in June, 91 volcanic earthquakes (deep) in July and 37 volcanic earthquakes (deep) in August. Manuk crater temperature continues to rise, the latest on August 12, recorded the temperature of the crater is reached 107.5. The most feared thing happened on this mountain is nature without notice. Phreatic eruptions can happen anytime with poison gas. Accumulation of material erupted to 3 million cubic in km threatening cold lava flood in the rainy season.

Residents are asked not to approach the crater to a radius of 2 km from the crater Papandayan complex. Beware of the dangers of cold lava flood that flows through the river of Ciparugpug and Ciberum. Do not be goaded by the issues that are misleading. Always coordinate with local governments. Such official statement that we quoted from the government through the site of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation. For more information of Papandayan mountain please download the full report via http://vsi.esdm.go.id/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=63&func=startdown&id=352.

External links

Mount Papandayan from wikipedia (en)
Gunung Papandayan dari wikipedia (id)

Mount Lokon Status Now Decreased To A Level III

2011-07-26T20:19:00.000+07:00

Finally Lokon mountain began to show its hospitality. After the eruption of destructive silence of Lokon residents in the surrounding mountains, local residents can now feel relieved. As you well know, since July 17, this mountain peak performance. Then, slowly by slowly the mountain showed decreased activity. So Lokon mountain status has been lowered to Alert (Level III).

This decline occurred quite clear until the 24th of July. However, residents need to be careful. Because the current SO2 gas released by volcanic Lokon tends to increase. This gas is quite dangerous to humans, and can provoke effects of acid rain.

Until this news was aired, volcanic activity of Lokon showed no eruptions will occur. To be the next concern, will probably happen throw incandescent material up to a radius of 2.5 km from the crater. Rain of ash is also one possibility that will happen. Residents should not approach the crater of the mountain to a radius of 3 km. And be careful with the cold lava flood. Thus the news that we have quoted from the official website of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, Government of Indonesia.

Soputan Status Be Alert (Level II) From Standby (Level III)

2011-07-23T00:40:00.001+07:00

Soputan When Appears Increased Activity

After the activity is increasing as what we report on the status of previous Soputan. Soputan status now reduced by the Indonesian government to be alert (Level II) from Standby (Level III).

From June 21 until July 3 yesterday, Soputan activity continues to increase. But since July 4, Soputan seen showed decreased activity. So on July 18 Soputan look no further activity. Nevertheless, a small amount of impact the activity will probably occur Soputan yesterday. Because Soputan is trying to achieve a new equilibrium. However, the impact is not harmful to humans.

Although the status Soputan be alert, the government still advise people not to approach and conduct activities in a radius of 4 km from the top of Soputan. So the news that obtained from the official website of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, Government of Indonesia.

The eruption of Mount Lokon Residents Need Help

2011-07-18T07:56:00.001+07:00

The Eruption of Mount Lokon (vivanews.com)

Once erupted on Sunday at 10:34 CIT (Central Indonesia time) residents in the surrounding mountains Lokon have been relocated to avoid falling victim soul. Previously we have tried to tell this to the people of Indonesia and worldwide, that the mountain Lokon is in alert status. It is possible this mountain would erupt. However, currently the most important thing is to continue to provide assistance to the victims of the eruption Lokon.

The eruption happened yesterday has issued a heat of material as high as 3500 meters from the mouth of the crater. Spontaneous, panicked residents deal with the situation. Actually, the Indonesian government has appealed to residents to immediately evacuate. However, one of the attitude of the citizens are less concerned about such hazards. But, the important for victims now are help from us.

Residents are expected to be patient, do not act recklessly. Because it will only lead to losses for your own. The attitude of mutual cooperation with residents expected to function well. We the people of Indonesia are always ready to help you. Because we are one.

Lokon Status Becomes Warning

2011-07-11T20:21:00.000+07:00

Lokon Mountain at Level IV (okezone.com)

On July 9, 2011, yesterday we had to write the status of Lokon Mountain at level III. You can read it through Lokon Mountain Still On Standby Status. Since the activity recorded on June 27, 2011, its activity increased. Volcanic earthquakes occur very often. Government of Indonesia has announced this news via the official website http://pvmbg.bgl.esdm.go.id/. After the activities are becoming more frequent, on July 10, 2011 at 5:01 am local time seen a high gray-white ash eruptions approximately 500 m.

Since 9 July yesterday has happened 6 times in volcanic earthquakes, shallow earthquake 12 times, 35 times earthquakes volcanic eruptions. So Lokon continue to emit SO2 gas to fluctuate. This show was the existence of the gas supply of volcanic magma.

The threat of danger for now is the occurrence of magmatic eruption accompanied by a burst of incandescent material, thick sand and ash rain with or without the flow of heat clouds followed by a sudden eruption. Communities that are on the Village Kinilow (Environment 1, 2, 3 and 7), Kinilow I (Environment 5) and Sub Kakaskasen I to be evacuated to safety from the threat of eruption Lokon Mountain. The public do not approach the area radius of 3.5 kilometers from the crater Tompaluan (Events). Should the occurrence of lava on the flow of the river.

Local Government continuously coordinating with the Observation Post Lokon Mountain (Phone No. 0431361076) in the village of Kakaskasen, Tomohon, North Sulawesi or the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, Geological Agency in Bandung.

Lokon Mountain Still On Standby Status

2011-07-09T11:47:00.003+07:00

Lokon Mountain (tribunnews.com)

In addition to Soputan mountain that is on standby status, the mountain Lokon also raised the alert status (level III). Until now, this post was released, the government of Indonesia through the institution of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has not lowered their status.

Mountain, located in the town of Tomohon, North Sulawesi, originally located on alert status (level II) since February 28, 2008 continue to reveal activity of volcanic tremor. Recorded since June 1, 2011 through June 26, 2011 there has been activity of volcanic earthquakes are 97 shallow volcanic earthquakes, 22 volcanic earthquakes in time, gusts of 158 earthquakes, 76 tectonic earthquake far away, and the vibration amplitude tremor with up to 12 mm.

This situation continues to be exacerbated by volcanic activity continues to increase. The threat of danger for now is the occurrence of phreatic to magmatic eruption with or without the flow of heat clouds followed by a sudden eruption.

The Community requested to stay calm, do not approach the crater up to a radius of 3 km. At present local authorities continue to make contact with the postal security Lokon through telephone network 0431361076 in the village of Kakaskasen. Local governments also continue to coordinate with the Vulcanology and geological hazard mitigation in Bandung. Thus this information we got from the official website of Vulcanology and geological hazard mitigation, Indonesia's Government.

External links:

Knowing Mount of Lokon from wikipedia

Mount Soputan On Standby Status

2011-07-05T00:31:00.000+07:00

Soputan eruption

Sunday morning, July 3, 2011 at around 6:03 pm mountain erupted Soputan in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Six kilometer-high volcanic vomit simultaneously with the smoke gray high-pressure ensued. This eruption continued for almost three and a half hours. As a result of volcanic ash was able to visit the city of Manado.

The latest news we got from the official website of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, Indonesia's government that the status of the mountain rose to Standby (Level III). As we write this post, the status of the mountain is still at that level.

Things that concern is secondary eruption will happen when winter rains caused by the evaporation of rain water on the lava dome is still hot. The biggest threat in the region Soputan mountain camp on the slopes of the northeast. Because the distance of this camp about 3 to 4 kilometers from the mountain top.


Soputan vulcanic ash covered the village	Soputan vulcanic smoke near the village

The government made it clear to people not to do the activity, especially around a radius of 6 kilometers from the mountain top. Communities are also expected to remain calm and not easily provoked issues surrounding the eruption of Mount Soputan. Community to continue to coordinate with the local government or directly contact the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation in the telephone service (022) - 7272606.

However, volcanic activity has forced Sam Ratulangi airport in Manado in the cap for a while since at 12.00 WITA (Region of Indonesia Midle Time).

External links

Soputan Mountain profile from wikipedia
Knowing Sulawesi from wikipedia
Knowing Indonesia from wikipedia
Profile of Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, Indonesia's government.